June 20, 2008
911 Enable Partners with Snap!VRS to Provide Enhanced 911 Video Calling
Solution to help Deaf, Hard of Hearing, and Speech Impaired Customers access 9-1-1 through Video Relay Service
Montreal, QC – June 20, 2008 - 911 Enable®, an industry leading 911 service provider, announced today that it will provide E911 call routing services for Snap!VRS, the video relay service provider that distributes the Ojo video phone. As a result, 911 emergency video calls can now be placed using Snap!VRS by individuals who are deaf, hard of hearing, or speech impaired.
“By working with Snap!VRS, 911 Enable is helping to make emergency calling even more accessible,” said Lev Deich, director of 911 Enable. “Together we are making it easier for anyone to connect to 911 in a time of crisis, no matter how they communicate.”
When a Snap!VRS customer places an emergency video call, they are connected with a Snap!VRS interpreter. The interpreter will ask the customer for their name, street address, and a brief description of their emergency as required by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC).
The Snap!VRS interpreter will then place an outbound call to the 911 Enable Emergency Routing Service (ERS). Based on the caller’s location, the ERS will identify and connect the caller with the appropriate local Public Safety Answering Point (PSAP). The caller’s name and location information, relayed through the interpreter, appears on the PSAP screen just as it would during a direct E911 call. Customers can then communicate through the Snap!VRS interpreter about the emergency to the PSAP operator in order to receive the appropriate services.
“This is a first step in our overall efforts to provide customers with a reliable and prompt 911 service,” said Richard Schatzberg, Snap!VRS Chief Executive Officer. “More must be done to enable all VRS providers to handle Internet-based 911 video calls more quickly and easily for relay customers.”
About 911 Enable
911 Enable provides the largest E911 coverage in the industry and leverages this connectivity to bring breakthrough location management technologies to a diverse customer base including service providers and enterprises. 911 Enable’s solutions recognize the challenges to 911 posed by VoIP and converging technologies. Using a flexible approach, 911 Enable offers equipment agnostic solutions which can be integrated with both legacy and IP-based technologies. Custom solutions for today’s leading equipment manufacturers such as Cisco, Avaya and Nortel help to ensure quick and easy integration. For more information about 911 Enable, visit www.911Enable.com
About Snap!VRS
Snap!VRS is a video relay service that enables people who are deaf, hard of hearing, or speech impaired to improve the connection with people in their personal and business lives. Eligible applicants receive a free Ojo video phone and use it to conduct true-to-life video relay calls through qualified sign language interpreters over a high-speed Internet connection. Customers communicate with the interpreter using sign language while the interpreter simultaneously relays the comments in spoken English to the standard telephone user. To learn more about Snap!VRS, visit www.snapvrs.com.
